Rest can relieve Panosteitis symptoms
Q: Our dog was limping, so we took him to the vet.
Now we have been told that ‘Buford’ has panosteitis. My vet explained the disease to me, but I’m still worried. He is only 6 months old, and I can’t believe he is already sick. J.S., Farragut
A: I understand your worry. Panosteitis can be painful, and no one likes it when their pet is in pain.
Panosteitis is a disease of the bone marrow, which is found in the center of bones. Veterinary researchers are unsure of the cause, but the bone is secondarily affected, creating the pain. The long bones of the limbs are typically affected.
To complicate matters, panosteitis can flare up randomly at different times and in different legs, Affected dogs can also have a fever.
It is primarily a disease of large breed dogs, and clinical signs can be seen as early as 4-5 months of age. The good news is that almost all dogs will grow out of the disease, by 15-18 months, when they are finished growing. There have been reports of adults dogs still having intermittent flare ups, but it is rare.
Dogs are diagnosed by a physical exam, history and x-rays. Treatment typically in-cludes pain medications and rest.
Buford will be OK with time.
Exercise may exacerbate clinical signs, so oc-casional long periods of rest may be needed. Good luck to you both.
Anyone who has questions or concerns about your pet may send an e-mail with their concerns to lenoircityac@gmail.com
